World Cup: Spain and Argentina Meet Sunday for the Crown
After two semifinal thrillers, the end is here. Spain face Argentina in Sunday's final at MetLife, while France and England fight for bronze on Saturday.
- The final is Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. CET, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
- Going for the crown are Spain, who knocked out France 2-0, and Argentina, who came from behind to beat England 2-1.
- The third-place match is France against England on Saturday, July 18 at 11 p.m. CET, at the stadium in Miami.
- Bookmakers make Spain the favorite at around 1.65, with Argentina at roughly 2.35.
Picture the Argentina dressing room half an hour before the semifinal ended. A deficit, silence, eyes on the floor. Then that same side walked back out and did what it has done all tournament long, found a way to win when it mattered most. England led, kept the ball, looked calm. Then Argentina turned it into a 2-1 and marched into the final as if it were always meant to be.
On the other side, Spain did the job the way Spain does when it is at its most serious. No noise, no risk, control that suffocates. France, one of the biggest favorites heading into the tournament, never came close to a goal. Twice the Spaniards punished and quietly pulled down the shutters. The 2-0 scoreline does not capture how one-way the match really was.
So here we are. Sunday at 9 p.m., at MetLife in New Jersey, playing for the world crown. Spain defend their European title and chase a second world title. Argentina chase a fourth, and the chance to defend what they won four years ago.
Who holds the edge before the match for everything?
The bookmakers have spoken, Spain the favorite at around 1.65, Argentina trailing at roughly 2.35. But this is one of those finals where the pre-match number is worth exactly as long as the anthems last. Spain have been a wall all tournament, barely anyone has even bulged their net. This is a side that wins by refusing the opponent room to breathe, then punishing with a single stroke.
Argentina tell the opposite story. Not always the prettiest, not always the most dominant, but they carry something you cannot buy, the habit of holding on and cutting through at the right moment. The comeback against England was no accident, it was the fifth or sixth time this summer they have dragged a match out of a spot where others fold. When the best defense meets the coolest head, the final is not played on paper.
Spain’s wind at their back is form and the calm rhythm that carried them here. Argentina’s is experience and that inexplicable knack for being better in a final than in a group. If you want a clear favorite, you do not have one. You have two champions who know exactly what they are doing.
What is on the weekend schedule
Before the big Sunday comes Saturday, and it is not to be dismissed. France and England, the two beaten semifinalists, play for third place on Saturday at 11 p.m. CET, at the stadium in Miami. The bronze match often carries the label of a game nobody needs, but two teams like these are unlikely to walk out just to stroll. Pride is pride, and both have something to prove after a defeat that stings.
Then comes Sunday and the reason the whole tournament is watched. Spain and Argentina, Europe against South America, control against character. MetLife will be full, the atmosphere charged, and we will get a final worthy of a World Cup. Whoever lifts the trophy, the story will be a big one.
That leaves the question that will fire up every table until Sunday night, can the Spanish machine hold off Argentina’s hunger for one more crown, or is another comeback for the ages waiting for us? What do you think, who lifts the trophy?
